cannot format

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.

NOTE: If you have an internal Zip Drive installed, physically disconnect the
EIDE and power cable to it before proceeding, otherwise your main
hard drive may not be assigned the customary C: drive letter.
After installing Windows XP, you may then reconnect it.

1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".

===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

9. If you happen to run into any installation difficulties, use the following resources:

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Hi,
|
| I'm trying to format my c drive and I can't. while using my boot disk, I
| command format c: and the reply is "cannot format network drive".
|
| I've looked all night at different site and newsgroups.
|
| I think it is because instead of FAT mine is NTFS. It was my husband friend
| who reinstalled our Windows XP, but I wasn't there. I found this by our
| disk manager.
|
| It will see, A: and D:, but it can't see C:
|
| I want to reinstall my Windows Me, because I bought an upgrade to windows XP
| because my orginal Windows XP is scratched and I can't use it now, but I
| want to upgrade.
|
| Any suggestions please.
|
| Also, I have the windows me, but it came with my previous computer installed
| free, am I going to need the product key, because I certainly don't have it
| anymore, that was years ago. Oh dear....I may have bought the upgrade for
| nothing :-((
|
| please help by replying to (e-mail address removed)
|
| Thank you.
|
|

 

[Anthony Procissi [MSFT]]

Hi Brenda,

When you boot from a floppy you can't see FAT32 drives.

If you are already on XP you don't have to reinstall it. I'm sorry to say, I
don't think you needed to buy a new copy of XP either. It's the Product Key
you pay for, and you should be able to order a new copy of the medai/CD.

I'll look into that for you, but in the meantime, don't open the new XP yet.

 

[t.cruise]

DOS can't read an NTFS drive. Solution: Don't use the format C: command
from the boot disk. Instead,
type: fdisk
then press the Enter key

Select the option to: Delete Partition or Logical DOS Drive
Then press the Enter key
When the next screen opens select the option: Delete non-Dos Partition and
press the Enter key, and then press the y key to confirm.
Then go back to the main fdisk menu and create your DOS partition or
partitions
The exit fdisk and you'll be able to use format C:
--

T.C.
t__cruise@[NoSpam]hotmail.com
Remove [NoSpam] to reply

 

[Anthony Procissi [MSFT]]

Hi Brenda,

I think you can order a replacement for you damaged CD by calling
1-800-360-7561.
They are open 5AM - 7PM.

--
-Anthony Procissi [MSFT]
US-Application Experience & Compatibility

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Hi Brenda,

When you boot from a floppy you can't see FAT32 drives.

If you are already on XP you don't have to reinstall it. I'm sorry to say,
I don't think you needed to buy a new copy of XP either. It's the Product
Key you pay for, and you should be able to order a new copy of the
medai/CD.

I'll look into that for you, but in the meantime, don't open the new XP
yet.

--
-Anthony Procissi [MSFT]
US-Application Experience & Compatibility

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Hi,

I'm trying to format my c drive and I can't. while using my boot disk, I
command format c: and the reply is "cannot format network drive".

I've looked all night at different site and newsgroups.

I think it is because instead of FAT mine is NTFS. It was my husband
friend
who reinstalled our Windows XP, but I wasn't there. I found this by our
disk manager.

It will see, A: and D:, but it can't see C:

I want to reinstall my Windows Me, because I bought an upgrade to windows
XP
because my orginal Windows XP is scratched and I can't use it now, but I
want to upgrade.

Any suggestions please.

Also, I have the windows me, but it came with my previous computer
installed
free, am I going to need the product key, because I certainly don't have
it
anymore, that was years ago. Oh dear....I may have bought the upgrade
for
nothing :-((

please help by replying to (e-mail address removed)

Thank you.

 

[Spinner]

Hi Brenda,

When you boot from a floppy you can't see FAT32 drives.

This is incorrect. It depends on what type of boot floppy you are using.
For example, a DOS 6.22 floppy will not see a fat32 partition, while a boot
floppy created on win98 or higher will see it just fine.

If you are already on XP you don't have to reinstall it. I'm sorry to say, I
don't think you needed to buy a new copy of XP either. It's the Product Key
you pay for, and you should be able to order a new copy of the medai/CD.

I'll look into that for you, but in the meantime, don't open the new XP yet.

--
-Anthony Procissi [MSFT]
US-Application Experience & Compatibility

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Hi,

I'm trying to format my c drive and I can't. while using my boot disk, I
command format c: and the reply is "cannot format network drive".

I've looked all night at different site and newsgroups.

I think it is because instead of FAT mine is NTFS. It was my husband
friend
who reinstalled our Windows XP, but I wasn't there. I found this by our
disk manager.

It will see, A: and D:, but it can't see C:

I want to reinstall my Windows Me, because I bought an upgrade to windows
XP
because my orginal Windows XP is scratched and I can't use it now, but I
want to upgrade.

Any suggestions please.

Also, I have the windows me, but it came with my previous computer
installed
free, am I going to need the product key, because I certainly don't have
it
anymore, that was years ago. Oh dear....I may have bought the upgrade for
nothing :-((

please help by replying to (e-mail address removed)

Thank you.

 

[Michael Stevens]

Hi,

I'm trying to format my c drive and I can't. while using my boot
disk, I command format c: and the reply is "cannot format network
drive".

I've looked all night at different site and newsgroups.

I think it is because instead of FAT mine is NTFS. It was my husband
friend who reinstalled our Windows XP, but I wasn't there. I found
this by our disk manager.

It will see, A: and D:, but it can't see C:

I want to reinstall my Windows Me, because I bought an upgrade to
windows XP because my orginal Windows XP is scratched and I can't use
it now, but I want to upgrade.

Any suggestions please.

Also, I have the windows me, but it came with my previous computer
installed free, am I going to need the product key, because I
certainly don't have it anymore, that was years ago. Oh dear....I
may have bought the upgrade for nothing :-((

please help by replying to (e-mail address removed)

Thank you.

Not related to the formatting, but set your time zone.
Click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into the address box
if using the web based newsgroup.
Format XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/format_XP.htm
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Cerridwen]

Hi Brenda,

When you boot from a floppy you can't see FAT32 drives.

Oh geez - I hope that was just a mistake, Anthony! I think you meant NTFS,
don't you?

 

[Anthony Procissi [MSFT]]

OOPS!
Yes, I meant NTFS!

*blushing* & hanging head in shame

Thanks for fixing that Cerridwen.

 

[Brenda]

Hi,

I'm trying to format my c drive and I can't. while using my boot disk, I
command format c: and the reply is "cannot format network drive".

I've looked all night at different site and newsgroups.

I think it is because instead of FAT mine is NTFS. It was my husband friend
who reinstalled our Windows XP, but I wasn't there. I found this by our
disk manager.

It will see, A: and D:, but it can't see C:

I want to reinstall my Windows Me, because I bought an upgrade to windows XP
because my orginal Windows XP is scratched and I can't use it now, but I
want to upgrade.

Any suggestions please.

Also, I have the windows me, but it came with my previous computer installed
free, am I going to need the product key, because I certainly don't have it
anymore, that was years ago. Oh dear....I may have bought the upgrade for
nothing :-((

please help by replying to (e-mail address removed)

Thank you.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm trying to format my c drive and I can't. while using my boot disk, I
command format c: and the reply is "cannot format network drive".

I've looked all night at different site and newsgroups.

I think it is because instead of FAT mine is NTFS. It was my husband friend
who reinstalled our Windows XP, but I wasn't there. I found this by our
disk manager.

It will see, A: and D:, but it can't see C:

I want to reinstall my Windows Me, because I bought an upgrade to windows XP
because my orginal Windows XP is scratched and I can't use it now, but I
want to upgrade.

If you have an upgrade XP CD and a regular retail (not restore) ME one,
you do not have to put the ME back in order to format and install the
XP. You do it as part of a reinstall of the system after booting the XP
CD direct. Enter Setup, and after the license agreement take New
Install. When it asks you to confirm where, hit ESC; select and delete
the current partition and make a new RAW one to be formatted at the next
stage

The important point is the delete. Without that it will just go ahead
and make a new install over the top of the old one

Then when it asks where Windows is, you show it the ME CD in the drive
for a moment, then when a blue screen asks for a [number] CD, put the XP
one back.

If you *do* need to reinstall ME, do it by booting an ME (or Windows
98) startup floppy. With that use its FDISK (say Y to large disk
support) to delete the 'non-DOS' partition; make a new DOS primary one
in its place, then reboot, taking with CD support, and FORMAT C: Then
go to the ME CD and run Setup